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Oct 21, 2018

Jerusalem the capital of 'Palestine'? Not anytime soon

Senior US official makes clear to Arutz Sheva: Possibility of
recognizing East Jerusalem as Palestinian capital is not on the agenda.
A US administration official told Arutz Sheva on Sunday that, for the
time being, the possibility of Washington recognizing eastern Jerusalem
as the capital of a Palestinian state is not being considered nor is it
on the agenda.

The official was responding to comments made by a senior Israeli
political official, who was quoted in the Yediot Aharonot newspaper
expressing concern that if the results of the midterm elections in the
US lead to a weakening of the Republicans, the pressure on President
Donald Trump to reach a political settlement between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority (PA) will increase.

The Israeli concern, the senior official said, includes the possibility
that Jerusalem will be included in the American political proposal. This
could mean defining “East Jerusalem” as the capital of a future
Palestinian state parallel to the recognition already given to “West
Jerusalem” as the capital of Israel.

The American official said in response that "our statement on Jerusalem
was clear and accompanied by the relocation of the embassy. Such
assessments are as good as those we heard about the peace plan, which is
in the final stages of formulation and which we are discussing with
Israel."

Official US sources said that the administration will not be relating to
the discussions surrounding President Trump's peace plan at this time
and will discuss it as a whole in the future.

There has been much speculation about Trump’s peace plan but exact
details about it have yet to be unveiled. Last week, US envoy Jason
Greenblatt revealed in an interview with Yediot Aharonot that the plan
includes a provision for Palestinian Arab unity.

"Let’s be clear about something: Gaza and the West Bank have been
separated for 10 years, not only physically, but politically—between the
Palestinian Authority and Hamas. It’s absurd to deny that reality," he
said.

"In contrast, our peace plan intends to bring them together. Make no
mistake; we are in this to help all Palestinians, in both the West Bank
and Gaza. The type of disinformation being spread by some parties who
have not even seen the plan yet wish to be spoilers does nothing to
benefit ordinary Palestinian lives.”

Greenblatt did not reveal further details of the White House peace plan,
but implored all parties involved to withhold judgment until the
specifics of the plan are released.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and other senior PA officials have been
boycotting the US ever since Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as
Israel’s capital last December. They argue that, due to this move, the
US is no longer an honest broker for peace talks.https://www.geezgo.com/sps/43796